Purpose

This bill would provide a one-time, state-funded program to help large municipalities improve how they enforce and comply with Minnesota’s State Energy Code as part of the State Building Code. The goal is to streamline the energy code compliance process, especially for performance-based standards, by giving code enforcement officials access to targeted grants for training, education, tools, and technology compatibility.

Main Provisions

• Funding: Appropriates $1,000,000 from the general fund in fiscal year 2027 to the commissioner of labor and industry.
• Use of funds: Makes competitive grants to code enforcement officials in municipalities with a population of at least 50,000 to provide support education, training, and tools related to compliance and technology compatibility for the State Energy Code.
• Focus: Emphasizes streamlining the State Energy Code compliance process, with particular attention to performance-based energy code standards.
• Administration: Allocates 5% of the appropriation for grant administration.
• Duration: This is a one-time appropriation, available until June 30, 2029.
• Reporting requirement: By December 31, 2028, the commissioner must report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over the State Energy Code on the expenditures and outcomes of these grants.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Introduces a new one-time funding mechanism to support energy code enforcement in large municipalities.
• Establishes a competitive grants program administered by the Department of Labor and Industry to provide training, tools, and technology compatibility support for energy code compliance.
• Creates a mandatory reporting requirement detailing how the funds were spent and what outcomes were achieved, aimed at improving compliance with the State Energy Code and its performance-based standards.
• No direct changes to the text of the State Building Code or energy code itself; instead, it funds implementation and enforcement improvements.

Implementation Considerations

• Targets municipalities with 50,000+ population, excluding smaller communities from eligibility.
• Emphasizes technology compatibility and performance-based approaches, suggesting alignment with newer or experimental enforcement tools and methods.
• Requires timely reporting to inform future policy decisions and potential expansion or continuation of funding.

Relevant Terms - State Building Code - State Energy Code - competitive grants - code enforcement officials - municipalities with a population of at least 50,000 - support education training and tools related to compliance and technology compatibility - streamline the State Energy Code compliance process - performance-based energy code standards - one-time appropriation - general fund - commissioner of labor and industry - expenditures and outcomes - reporting by December 31, 2028 - available until June 30, 2029